Shortcuts Sound Appealing, But at What Cost?
I recently facilitated a panel discussion at an industry conference that many of you probably attended. The topic was: How 3PLs and their customers can develop and maintain the right relationship. I asked three Total Logistic Control (TLC) customers—all household-name companies—to answer a series of questions about how they worked with their 3PLs, and how […]
Read MoreCreating an Inbound Routing Guide
Used properly, inbound routing guides can streamline operations, reduce costs, and enhance trading partner relationships. Pete Stiles, vice president of strategy and marketing, LeanLogistics, offers these tips for creating a routing guide that your vendors will comply to. 1. Understand what a routing guide is and clearly define its parameters. Routing guides contain routing instructions […]
Read MoreLogistics Developers Embrace the ‘P Word’
The real estate development community in the United States has performed a dramatic about-face when it comes to forming development partnerships. Developers have realized the dreaded ‘P word’ may be necessary for certain projects. This new attitude pays off for real estate developers providing build-to-suit logistics facilities because they operate in a changed reality shaped […]
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U.S. Airlines Need an Attitude Adjustment
Airlines in the United States contain a hidden treasure. But through indifference, disinterest, and even disdain, this treasure never will reveal its true worth unless and until senior airline management realizes the importance of freight operations. The passenger side of the industry is doing comparatively well five years after the Sept. 11 attacks—with packed airplanes […]
Read More8 Common-Sense Rules for Inventory Management
Inventory management is a hot topic. Books about the subject abound and there are many detailed techniques and practices, which vary by industry. When looking at the big picture, however, you can reduce much of the philosophizing about inventory management to the following eight common-sense principles. 1. If you don’ t know where you are […]
Read MoreHow Do You Spell Transportation Budget Relief? TSM
The increasingly complicated nature of global shipping, coupled with a shift in transportation budgeting from basic transportation costs to a base plus accessorial charges billing standard, has made managing transportation budgets extremely challenging. The good news? This cloud has a silver lining—it is called Transportation Spend Management (TSM). TSM is the practice of targeting specific […]
Read MoreFreezing Transport Costs in Their Tracks
To get its potato products from the freezer to the fryer more effectively, food distributor Martin-Brower migrates to rail shipping. The cost savings are gravy.
Read MoreThe Human Touch (Felecia Stratton)
When was the last time you shared a drink with your WMS, complimented your forklift, or gave your computer a pat on the back? Accidental coffee spills and wishful coaxing aside, probably never, and for good reason. Machines may help get the job done faster and more efficiently, but the real power behind the supply […]
Read MoreHidden Heroes Power the Supply Chain (Keith Biondo)
Some people manage simple logistics systems. Others face logistics complexities that stretch beyond their ability to master them. Some people oversee logistics flows across the globe. Others run a seemingly never-ending closed loop of highly disciplined product flow within the confines of a single state. Some logistics managers operate a transport program that flat-lines for […]
Read MoreMobile Computers Dispense Productivity
Seaquist Closures opens the door toenhanced productivity and inventory accuracy with mobile computers
Read MorePeople: The Power Behind the Supply Chain
The most important link in the supply chain is the one who gets up every morning, drinks a cup of coffee, and gets down to work.
Read MorePeople: Bill O’Brien, Havi Food Services
Bill O’Brien looks for challenges on the road less traveled. If someone has already been there and done that, chances are he’ll veer in the opposite direction. As president of Havi Food Services in China, O’Brien has charted an unconventional course—overseeing from scratch the development of a world-class cold chain in a region plagued by […]
Read MorePeople: Glenn Eisen, Retired Logistics Professional
After a long and distinguished logistics career, Glenn Eisen could have embraced a guilt-free retirement filled with golf, travel, and early-bird specials. Instead, he spends his days lending his logistics and emergency medical skills to disaster relief efforts, and mentoring young entrepreneurs about the ins and outs of business management. “I have a lot of […]
Read MorePeople: Vicki O’Meara, Ryder
What’s a high-powered environmental attorney doing at the head of a logistics services business? Having the time of her life. “I can’t think of a better opportunity for someone who likes to lead and grow organizations,” says Vicki O’Meara, president since 2005 of U.S. Supply Chain Solutions (SCS) for Miami-based Ryder. For a woman who […]
Read MorePeople: Bob Willett, Best Buy
In June 2006, Bob Willett, CEO of Best Buy International, was a speaker at AMR Research’s Supply Chain Executive Conference, where he followed a keynote speech by former President Bill Clinton. In his introduction, Willett warned the audience not to expect much from him. “After all, I’m just a simple shopkeeper,” he explained. “Simple shopkeeper” […]
Read MorePeople: Junki Yoshida, Yoshida Group
Having a joke, an antic, or a light-hearted observation for every occasion is trademark for Junki Yoshida, chairman and CEO of the Oregon-based Yoshida Group, parent company of OIA Global Logistics. On his conglomerate’s web page, he pops up as a smiling Uncle Sam, an improbable Elvis, even a lasso-swinging cowboy. At Yoshida’s Wine Bar […]
Read MorePeople: Fred Towns, New Age Electronics
Ask Fred Towns what he likes about his job and the words spill out of his mouth, tumbling over each other at a dizzying pace that leaves you somewhere between hanging on each one and hoping you can process it all fast enough to keep up. Thanks to his varied career, Towns has a lot […]
Read MorePeople: Jim Kellso, Intel Corp.
When a tree falls in the Bolivian rain forest, someone might not be around to hear it, but there’s a good chance it is being tracked with RFID, thanks in part to Jim Kellso. Kellso, whose day job is planning Intel’s supply chain future, helped the Nature Conservancy implement an RFID program that lets it […]
Read More5 Burning Questions
Complicated questions abound in the supply chain industry and some weigh more heavily on logistics professionals than others. To find answers to some recurring quandaries, Inbound Logistics put some of the industry’s top experts on the hot seat and fired away.
Read MoreDemand-Driven Logistics: Adjusting Focus
Picture this: 80 percent of your traditional business disappears within five years. For Eastman Kodak, positioning a demand-driven supply chain model to fit this redefined market required vision, an eye for detail, and precise timing. Here’s what developed.
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